1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to washing or cleaning implements, and more specifically to a washing device for scrubbing the body while showering or bathing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Numerous implements have been devised and proposed for use during showering or bathing. A number of these have as their objective facilitation of scrubbing of body surfaces which are difficult to access-such as a person's back. One class of devices which has traditionally been used for this purpose are brushes with generally long handles which can be used to reach normally inaccessible body surfaces. A problem with such brushes, however, is that the bristles of many of these brushes tend to be very soft and provide minimal scrubbing activity. Additionally, the brushes frequently define relatively small areas on which the bristles are mounted. This results in only relatively small areas being scrubbed in any one given time. This also makes it possible to skip over certain areas because of the generally random movements that take place with such brushes. Consequently, not only do small brushes take longer to wash an entire area but some areas may not be washed at all. In order ameliorate this problem, brushes with larger surface areas have been devised. However, the larger the surface area covered by the brush, the heavier the brush is, particularly when it is wet and has absorbed large quantities of water. The larger the brush, therefore, the harder it is to manipulate the brush and the one hand that holds the brush can tire very quickly. It is virtually impossible to hold a brush handle with both hands to reduce the stress normally applied to one hand.
A further problem with brushes is that the amount of pressure that is applied to the brush, and, consequently, the extent of scrubbing action, is limited. The reason for this is that the pressure applied by the bristles of the brush is a function of the force applied by the wrist to the end of the handle on which the bristles are mounted. A relatively large force must be applied by the wrist in order to produce any meaningful scrubbing forces. This additionally tires the arm and particularly the wrist.